Description of the attraction
The Church of São Miguel do Castelo is located in the western part of the Guimaraes Castle. This church is also symbolically associated with the formation of the Portuguese kingdom according to the legend, which says that it was in this church that the future king of Portugal Afonso Henriques was baptized. There is also a baptismal font where the sacrament took place. However, these statements are contradictory, because there is still speculation that the church was founded during the reign of Afonso II.
A small chapel in the Romanesque style was built inside the Guimaraes castle by order of the Archbishop Guimaraes, presumably in the 12th century. Later, during the reconstruction, the chapel was expanded and became known as a church. In 1229, the archbishop consecrated this church. During the reign of King Afonso III, small restoration work was carried out in the church, and after that the temple served as a parish church. At the end of the 19th century, the building began to collapse. Reconstruction work was carried out for six years. In 1936, the main part of the sacristy on the south side of the church was destroyed in order to restore the original features of the medieval church. In 1939, restoration work was carried out again, the roof and doors were restored and the walls of the chapel were strengthened.
The Church of San Miguel do Castelo is a single-nave church with an altar inside. The walls of the church are made of granite. The facade of the building is decorated with a double arch with a tympanum. On the south and north sides, there are also doors topped with an arch, and long and narrow window-slits. The same windows adorn the front facade of the church, but they are larger in size. The church has a cemetery where aristocrats from the Middle Ages are buried.
